I Wish
by ArthurEKing
Summary: *Complete* First in a series of stories about a man who wishes to be Saiyajinn.
1. The Wish

I Wish . . . 

A Dragonball Z Fan-Fiction

By Arthur E. King

Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own Dragonball, or any of it's characters. I think we all know that. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfics for fun. I'd be doing it for a living, and it wouldn't be posted on ff.net. And if you think Hoshito is mine, you're right... Don't use him without my permission okay?

  
  
  


Author's Note: Now this story takes place one year after the defeat of Cell in the World's Martial Arts Competition. Oh yeah, by the way, if you don't like me, I've left my e-mail address, and ICQ number on my profile, so you can send flame's that way, try and keep the review section for just that, reviews. Thanks

  
  
  
  


Exactly as I imagined . . . Just a whole lot scarier. The sky was dark, almost black now, the thunder had begun to boom over the plains, and the seven orange balls he had gathered were beginning to glow. Even as he watched, the lightning flashed once more, now in time to the pulsing of the dragonballs.

Hoshito felt a shiver of fear slide up his spine, setting his teeth shattering once more. Get a grip on yourself Hoshito. It's what you've been waiting for, for nearly a decade now. Even as he watched, scared half to death, one final burst of light and sound appeared directly in front of him, far larger than the others.

As his senses returned, the first thing he noticed was the sheer enormity of the thing. Taller than any building he had ever seen, the dragons long sinewy form curled up into the sky. Green scales covered it's body, shimmering in the stormy un-light, and a huge ridge of spiny plates clung to his back, shining a pale yellow, like unbleached bone.

A bright red tongue slid snake-like from jaws filled with row upon row or razor-sharp teeth, which opened now to speak, "You have two wishes remaining, what shall they be?" Hoshito reached into his pocket with trembling hands, to retrieve the cue-cards, upon which he had written the exact words of the wish he had planned so long ago.

He still couldn't quite believe it though, after all this time, he was finally here, making his wish. It had been a year ago that the monster Cell menaced the earth, very nearly destroying it. I will not allow this to happen again...

His mouth was dry, he stammered, he couldn't see the words on the cards because of the light, he couldn't speak. Hoshito took a deep, calming breath and slowly let it out again. Look, you've gone over this a thousand times, just do it! Then in a voice surprisingly strong and clear he made his wish.

"I wish for you to return Mary to this plane of existence." His voice was death, lifeless, unemotional, the words only barely registering on his conscious mind.

"You wish cannot be granted. Mary died by her own hand, she does not wish to return. You have two wishes remaining, what shall they be?" 

He stood there stunned, defeated, completely without hope. They told him it wouldn't work, but he couldn't listen now could he? He had to hear the words for himself, hear them shatter his ice-cold heart into a million pieces, to never be able to love, and therefore, be hurt, again. He let his head hang low, and a single tear fell unnoticed to the ground. Then with a still, brittle strength, he lifted his head, and read the second card, the one he never wanted to read.

"Then I wish to be transformed, so that I have all the physical and genetic abilities of every Saiyajinn or partial-Saiyajinn who has ever set foot upon this earth, while still retaining as much of my original DNA as possible." His heart was racing, just as much in anticipation as in fear.

He screamed. The pain was unimaginable, far worse than he had expected. He had muscles now, and they bulged, pulsing in time to the lighting which still periodically shot down from the black clouds. He could feel his lengthening spine stretching beyond his skin, shooting out and slowing covering itself with flesh, and fur, till it had become a proper tail.

"Your wish has been granted. You have one wish remaining. What shall it be? And hurry, I tire." The voice of the Eternal Dragon's was the voice of thunder, crashing through the sky, and then rolling down slowly upon the cowering mortal who stood, trembling no longer, beneath him.

Hoshito caught his breath after the exhilaration and pain of the transformation. He could feel the new power coursing through his veins, could feel it just below the surface of his consciousness, awaiting the command to surge forth and destroy.

He felt the third cue-card slip from his fingers, all but forgotten, after all, he did have the thing memorized years ago. He let his voice ring out with a new sense of self-confidence, a surety he hadn't had a moment ago.

"Great dragon, for my second wish I wish for knowledge. I wish that I had all the collected combative knowledge of every Saiyajinn and partial-Saiyajinn who has ever set foot upon this earth! Every being who has given me their poewr, now let them too give me the knowledge to control that power." 

He screamed again. It was worse this time, this was in his mind, ripping his brain apart into it's component pieces, restructuring it into new pathways, and putting it all back together again, but somehow different... 

"Your wish has been granted." Was all the great beast said, and disappeared in a flash of light, the dragonballs hurtling off to the four corners of the earth. And then, silence... It was over, done, complete. The silence was almost as deafening as the thunder had been a moment before, tense, an elastic waiting to snap.

Then a single, jubilant cry arose from the throat of one man, newborn to the world, newborn to Power. 

Snap.  


"Look Hoshito I wish I could help you, but you know I can't." This said by a tiny little bald man, in a high, wheezing voice as he opened the door to let his friend in.

"What's a matter, got a big date tonight?"

Krillin turned about suddenly, speaking in a screaming hiss of a whisper. "Who told you? How did you know?" His eyes wide, an expression of absolute terror on his face.

Hoshito managed to keep his face expressionless for a moment longer, then burst into sudden peals of laughter. "I couldn't help it Krillin, you're just too easy to read. The suit, the cologne, the head-wax. It's that girl again isn't it? That Android? I'm right aren't I?" 

Try as he might Hoshito couldn't keep the smile out of his voice, it was good to see Krillin going out again. He had been devastated after Maron left, and just wasn't the same after Cell was defeated. Personally, Hoshito thought it was the realization that he was pretty much useless now that got to him. 

Always before he had been able to make some difference, but the Saiyajinns had gone so far beyond him that he was like a fly now. Even his girlfriend was more powerful than he was, which was actually quite distressing. To know that he was actually doing something again was a relief.

"Look, we've been friends for what, ten years now? I'd train you any other time, but not today. She's special this one, she might just be the one." As he was saying this, Krillin was busy grooming himself, making sure his suit wasn't wrinkled, straightening his tie.

"Yeah, I know what that's like. But today's different. You've been training me for what, ten years now? Ever since I saw you in that tournament, and found out how powerful you were." They both smiled a bit at that one. Almost Ironic. "Well today I think I might be able to beat you finally."

"Yeah sure, you probably couldn't beat Yajirobe, and that's if he had one arm tied behind his back."

"Yeah well take a little closer look."

Krillin turned around slowly, his forehead crinkling up in confusion. "What!" He exclaimed a moment after he laid his eyes on my tail. I had only recently let it unfurl from underneath the long coat I had worn specifically for this occasion.

"Bu- bu- bu- But ho- how?" He stammered.

"You remember the dragonballs right? Well I made a wish."

"So you're..."

"Saiyajinn? That's right. Only problem is I'm a little unfamiliar with the new body. Think you could help me test it out?"

If he was a little less familiar with the workings of the dragonballs and of the Saiyajinn race, Krillin probably would have fainted right then. As it was he merely stopped trying to speak, and nodded his agreement.

"Thanks, tomorrow morning then? I got a few other things I want to take care of tonight."

"Sure. See ya later then..." He finally managed a normal sentence.

"Sure. Later"  


"Thanks Dr. Briefs. I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"Oh no problem at all son. I needed something to keep me busy anyways." Even as he spoke he had already begun to doodle on the nearest available scrap of paper, designing the new shuttle-pod I had requested.

"Thanks again. Don't forget to add the other training equipment, as well as that gravity device."

"Oh sure, sure. Although why you want this thing to be able to go that high I'll never understand."

"Well it's just a precaution."

"Alright, but I should warn you that gravity this high could kill you quite easily." He absent-mindedly patted his ever-present kitty a little too hard, squishing the cat into the table. "Squish you flatter than a pancake."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. Thanks again. About when will it be ready?"

"Oh about three weeks should be enough. Unless I get distracted." Okay, about a month and a half then.

"Okay then, I'll see you then." Even as I waved good-bye I was already walking away our the door, making the mental calculations as to just how good I can become in a month and a half.

I let a wry smile slip onto my lips, and got back in my car, knowing that in only a little while, I'd never need a car again. I'd say pretty darn good.  


I dodged the last beam, and deflected the next before it even came close, anticipating the action reflexively. Then turned around to block to kick I knew was coming. Krillin was becoming depressingly predictable.

Even as I blocked the kick, I had already begun the down-swing that would cut off the counter-punch, while slamming fist-first into Krillin's chest. I made a mental note to make sure to pull the punch a bit.

I had been having to do that a lot lately, if I didn't, I ran the risk of really hurting him like he had two weeks ago. If it hadn't have been for the regeneration chamber, Krillin could have been seriously hurt.

Even as all this went through my mind I pushed forward, dodging yet another energy blast, then did a backwards somersault, spun around and kicked Krillin into the nearest mountain.

Thankfully, the kick wasn't hard enough to shove him through the mountain, just enough to whack him into it and stun him a bit. Man, I'm gettin' a lot better at judging these things. Not last week I probably would have at least shoved him straight through and out the other side.

"I think that's enough for today. You're starting to get tired."

Krillin smiled back, trying to extricate himself from the mountainside. "Yeah, you're gettin' too fast for me."

"Nah, that couldn't be it. I'm not getting any faster, you're just getting slower in your old age." We both laughed at that, knowing full well that I was two years older than he was.

"Look, I'm gonna be going now for a while. I got Bulma's father to build me a space ship, and I thought I'd see the stars."

"Really? Well who's gonna take care of you up there? You got some other training partner I don't know about?"

"Nah. You know you're the only one for me." I took his hand and pulled him out of the mountain, then gave his bald head a noogie and smiled. "I just gotta take care of some things, okay?"

"Sure. Just don't forget about me when you're big and famous okay?"

"Never! I always make sure to remember the little people I crushed on my way up!"

"Yeah right."

"Don't worry so much, you'll give yourself wrinkles. And that girlfriend of yours won't want to date a man with wrinkles you know."

"Hey! You leave her outta this!" This said as he mock punched me. He automatically reversed his position on the subject though, "You really think she'll care if I get wrinkles?" Worrier.

"Don't worry so much man. She's got the hots for you. I wouldn't be surprised if she said yes tomorrow. That's assuming you ask her tonight." Not very likely that.

"Yeah, well you better be right about that. Or else I won't hold back next time." 

"Sure Krillin." An indulgent smile on my face. "See ya later." After that I flew off without so much as a glance back to see the expression on his face. I really am getting good at judging these things...  


Perfect. 

I was looking at the planet below. Breathable atmosphere, no life, or no sentient life at least, perfect. I wouldn't want to destroy anything sentient, now would I?

I could feel my heart racing. I had been training in the steadily increasing the gravity of this ship, looking for just such a planet. I had checked out so many so far, but none of them were quite right. Either I couldn't breath the air, there was sentient life, or something else made them somehow wrong.

But now it was here. The moment I had been waiting for, for so very, very long. The first time I could truly test my new powers.

I keyed in the landing sequence after selecting a likely site. As the ship descended I turned the Gravity machine off from the 200 g's I had been training at, to normal gravity again. Don't want to be too worked up when I get down there.

Finally, the pod set down on the surface of the planet, and I opened the hatch. As I stepped down, I was surprised by just how light I felt. I looked back, then gave a resigned huff, closing the hatch, and locking the ship up tight.

After that, I picked a direction, and just flew. Wouldn't want to be too close to that thing, just incase... Don't want to destroy my only way of getting back to Earth.

It took a while, even at top speed, to get far enough away that I could consider the vehicle safe. About halfway around the planet... With that, I took one deep breath, let it slip out slowly, and prepared myself for what I was about to do.

The ultimate test of the dragonballs. Now we're going to see if those things did their work, or if it was all just show.

And with that, I gathered my energy, focussed it, brought forth my borrowed knowledge, gave it form and function, and sent it forth. A ball of pure white light leapt forth from my palms and into the sky. It climbed high, then slowed down, just sitting there, waiting.

I looked closely at it. I could feel the changes taking place already, first was the energy, I could feel it swelling within me. It was almost as if it was too much for this body to handle. Then came the fury. Undirected, unlimited rage. Taking over my mind, blocking my vision, while keeping only the barest minimum of control.

It was almost as if I was looking through someone else's eyes, like my body was a window and I had taken a step back. I could feel the changes taking place, and couldn't do anything to stop them. My body swelled with the energy, growing to encompass more.

As it did so, I could feel hair growing all over my body, my face changing shape, growing into something more, something different.

There was surprisingly little pain though. Far less than when the dragonballs changed me. It was almost as if this was who I was, what I was meant to be, so why should it hurt me to become what I already was?

That was very nearly my last conscious thought for a very long time afterwards. Looking back I can still recall bits and pieces of what happened, but only fragments, and it made very little sense.

Eventually though, I became more conscious of what I was, what I was doing, and why. Finally, a long time later, I regained control of my body, and as I did, I took a new look around in this shape. It had been a very long time I knew.

The pale light of the tiny ball of energy still hung above me, though a great deal dimmer now. It had begun to lose it's power, which was probably half the reason why I had regained consciousness. Then as it finally winked out, my last thought was of Krillin, thankful that I had the common sense to do this here.

I wouldn't want to destroy my only means of friendship now would I?


	2. Consequences

I Wish - Chapter II

By:

Arthur E. King  
  


As I awoke, my first thought was that I was alive. My second, was wondering why. As I fought my way forth from the bottomless abyss of Unconsciousness, I found myself lying naked on the grass, staring up at the huge grey sky.

There was a light drizzle spattering my body with moisture. I sat up, only barely beginning to remember what had happened. Oh yeah, the whole giant monkey thing... 

"Well that was an experience. Now lets try something else." My voice was hoarse, ragged, like wood sliding on gravel. My tongue felt like sand, my mouth was on fire, not to mention the heinous fungal growth on my teeth.

I pulled myself to my feet and got my bearings, glad I had marked the position of the spaceship. I walked over to the nearest stream, and splashed some water on my face to wake up. After taking a short break, and a drink, I was ready.

I stood up, and felt down within myself for the source of my power. From deep within, I felt a tiny spark of energy, then I pulled at it, fueling it into a bright flame. Then I pooled it beneath myself, and floated up into the air.

It took but a moment to find it, and even less to get there. Man I'm lucky, another couple thousand miles and I could have destroyed it. 

Once I was safe inside the spaceship, the first order of business was to get some clothes. I Had of late decided to wear a loose-fitting orange suit, quite similar to that worn by the late great Goku. I thought it fitting that the worlds greatest warrior, look like the worlds former greatest warrior.

After that, I had to go down to the kitchen. Ever since the transformation I had a virtually insatiable hunger, but no matter how much I ate, I never seemed to get fat. It was both a blessing and a curse, my grocery bills had been skyrocketing.

Once my stomach had quieted down, I was ready to train , so I flew back out again. I followed the path of broken boulders, and shattered mountains. I followed the great swaths of blackened death where my breath had seared the ground of every living thing.

Eventually I came upon the great plain of nothingness where it had begun. There was nothing now. Before I had transformed, there had been green grass, trees, shrubs, birds singing, bees buzzing, even worms crawling upon the ground.

There was none of that now, just utter silence, for miles. It was then that I began to be afraid of what I was truly capable of. Never before had I witnessed such utter devastation, such wanton lifelessness, at least not on so grand a scale as this.

"Well, here we go again..."

I took one deep, cleansing breath, resigned myself to this needed destruction, this thankless fate, and began again.  
  
  
  


So went my days, waking, dry-mouthed, from a night of incomparable havoc, to find myself ever farther from where I had begun, though thankfully, never so close to my shuttle as that first night. Each time though, I felt I could remember more, sense more of what had occurred.

It was a long time before I felt confident of my ability, of my memory, but at long last, this power, among others, was mine. Now, just as Vegeta before him, Hoshito of earth had complete control over this most basic of the Saiyajinn transformations.

By then though, my food stores had long since been depleted, and I had been forced to fish and hunt to survive. Thankfully the water wasn't in short supply, nor was it tainted. If it hadn't have been for that, I might not have made it.

But I did make it, and when I finally returned to my ship, I felt sure of my abilities. It may not be Super-Saiyajinn, at least not yet, but it's a start. It was another three months before I got back to earth, and by then, I thought I was unstoppable.  
  
  
  


"Hey there Eighteen, is Krillin there?" She had come to the door wearing only a towel swirled around her hair, and one on her body, so I knew the answer was yes.

"Sure Hoshito, he'll be out in a minute." Her dry tone, and flippant manner told me that this wasn't an odd occurrence. "Krillin, you got a visitor!"

I winced at that, knowing Krillin would be more than a little embarrassed. Krillin's bald pate popped up from around a corner, trying to figure out who was here. "Hoshito! Nice to see you there! Come on in, I'll be out in a minute, K?"

"Sure thing, thanks." As I walked into the place, I noticed that most of Krillin's old furniture had been replaced by more feminine pieces. Not only that, but there were bowls of potpourri everywhere, not to mention the flowers.

"So when did you guys move in together?" This said to Eighteen, seeing as she hadn't yet gone to change.

"Only about a month after you left. Right about the same time he gave me this." With that said, she held out her hand for my appraisal of the gem on her finger. I took a careful perusal of the setting and stone, letting the occasional "Oooh" or "Aaah" fall from my lips so as to seem interested.

Of course, I wasn't actually paying attention to the ring, but to the rather significant amount of cleavage that was exposed as she bent over to show me, not to mention the copious quantities of upper thigh. Man, if she had been half-way interested in me I wouldn't have cared a whit that she was my best friend's. 

It was right at that moment, while I was thus occupied, that Krillin decided to burst upon the scene. I looked up just in time so that Krillin wouldn't know what I was really looking at. Man, reflexes are definitely getting better... Phew.

"Krillin! How you doing there bud? Your new fiancé was just showing me the rock you gave her. Quite impressive." I said that just a fraction of a second too quickly. I could see the jealous rage building in Krillin's eyes, and saw it as quickly disappear. Man, you really are a friend, and my reflexes aren't quite as good as I thought.

"Hey there, what's up man? It's been what, how many months?" He said that as Eighteen gets up and walks over to him, hugging him in the process, more to embarrass him than anything else. He hugged her back possessively, and whispered something into her ear. 

If I hadn't had such good ears I wouldn't have caught the, "Go get dressed dear." As they disguised it in the form of a quick peck on the cheek. And if I wasn't so observant, I wouldn't have caught the weird expression that flashed over her face in the mirror, then it was gone.

Eighteen let go and moved to the bedroom to change. Krillin came over to give me a big bear-hug, although a little tighter than usual. "Well no matter. Long time no see. Sorry about all that back there, but she's still in a bit of a daze over the whole thing. So am I actually!" We both had a good laugh over that one, even though it seemed a little stressed.

"Well she's a catch that's for sure. But she wouldn't have anyone other than you man. No one else could possibly put up with all the guys gawking at her all the time." Another good, strained laugh. "But seriously man, I came here to ask for a tiny little favor."

"Sure man, anything for you." There seemed to be a tiny glint in his eye... or maybe it was just the crud in the corner.

"Well, you know that I've been away training. What you don't know is what I was training to do, or why." There was a slight hesitation there. "See what I've been doing is basically making sure I don't blow the world up."

Krillin gave me a weird expression right then, but let me continue. "You see, as you remember, Saiyajinn have two transformations, the Super-Saiyajinn, and the big monkey thing." I could see he was beginning to understand, but kept explaining anyways. "Well, that big were-monkey form tends to be a little out of control."

"What you may not know though, it that to gain one transformation, you have to lose the other." He nodded at that one, finally figuring out where this was going. "Of course, you can't lose the tail under normal conditions, it'll just come back. So you have to cut it off while transformed."

"And of course, if you had transformed on earth, you might have killed a bunch on innocent people, maybe even destroyed the world. So you went out to someplace where you wouldn't be a danger, and practiced. Good thinking man."

"So now I'm back here to get rid of this thing," at that moment, I let my tail slip free from underneath my shirt, right at about the same time that Eighteen came out from the bedroom.

I didn't really have time to do much else, other than blinking, and not much for even that. Before I knew it, I was up against the wall, wondering what the heck happened to me. "Umm... Krillin, could you get your fiancé off me?" There was a little bit too much urgency in my voice, for my liking, "Please?"

"Who are you, and why are you here, and what have you done to Hoshito?" This said as she pressed her forearm a little too far into my neck, her elbow into my face.

"Umm, dear... This is Hoshito, he's just a little different. He's a Saiyajinn now, thanks to the dragonballs."

She held her place a moment longer, then relented, letting me fall to the floor gasping for breath. She flipped her hair back with an arrogant, "Hmph," and waltzed over into the kitchen.

"Don't mind her, she's still a little jumpy around the Saiyajinn." Krillin waved the whole episode off like it was nothing, which, for him, it was.

"Thanks though. Although if possible, I'd prefer to get this over with as soon as possible. Think she can spare you for an hour or so?"

"Sure thing." To Eighteen he yelled, "Hun! I'll be out with Hoshito for a bit. Back in an hour, okay?"

"Okay, just be back in time for dinner."

"Don't you just love women sometimes?"

I looked at him with a bemused expression, "Sometimes."  
  
  
  


"Well that was an experience. Hurt a whole lot more than I expected." As I said this, I was rubbing the place where only a few moments ago, a tail had existed. "I know I only had a tail for like nine months, but it's a little weird to walk without it." 

"Oh shush, You know you'll thank me for it."

"Yeah, but did you have to aim so close? A little closer and you would've cut me in half instead of my tail."

"Would that have really been such a bad thing?"

Now that wasn't something I had been expecting. I was about to respond when Krillin cut me off. He had flown directly in front of me, his face now mere millimetres from my own. 

"I know you're probably a thousand times more powerful than I am, but it really doesn't matter. If you ever look at her like that again you will be cut in half. I'll find a way." The threat was evident in his voice as well as the words.

"Look, I'm sorry. It won't happen again, promise. Sometimes, when confronted with such a beautiful woman, I can't help it." Man, Krillin is never like this. "But seriously man, it won't happen again. I've got my eye on someone else..."

That caught him off guard. He hadn't been expecting such an admission, let alone the rest. His eyes narrowed for a second, "Who?" There was the faintest hint of a smile in his eyes.

"Oh nobody special..."

We both smiled again, the tense situation of but a moment before gone once more in the sense of comradery. After ten years this guy can still surprise me.

"So where are you going to go now?" He was slightly curious, but not pushy.

"Oh well, the only person who I can trust to give me a good run for my money without blasting me to pieces."

We both smirked at that one, and said out loud what we were both thinking. 

"Piccolo!


	3. Transformations

Disclaimer: Yeah I know I sometimes forget to put this thing here, but for those of you who have only come to this place by accident, here it is. None of the people places or things in this story (with the possible exception of Hoshito) belong to me. I'm not Akira Toriyama, even though my writing is so good you'd think I was. I'm actually a whole lot better than he is, at least I am in my own opinion, which is all that matters. So don't bother trying to lawyer me, I have no money, and don't try giving me any money because it really should go to him, even if I need it more, hehehe. Okay, now onto the story.

  
  


It wasn't a very long trip to Korin Tower, but we had enough time for a bit a chit-chat. Eighteen had deigned to stay behind, having to Clan up after dinner and do some shopping. Apparently they were looking for a new bed or something. Krillin you ol' dog... A new bed already... Sheesh!

"And the wedding is planned for next spring, but I'm not sure if I can wait that long. There's just so many people who seem determined to take her away from me, or die trying. Why just the other day, that guy at the grocery store had the gall, the unmitigated gall, to flirt with her right before my eyes. It took every bit of restraint I had just to stop myself from pounding that little cock-sure smile off his face." 

Krillin continued on his jealous rampage. It hadn't been all that long since that anger was directed at me, and for once I was glad that I had managed to keep my eyes above the neckline in his house of late. I had been coming over almost every day for training sessions, and the soon to be misses was starting to give me dirty looks. Man, I don't envy you Krillin. Not anymore... That little hell-cat would chew me up and spit me out before I knew what hit me. She's the kind of woman who can't help but inspire jealous rages, being such an incurable flirt.

I kept those thoughts to myself, and let Krillin go on and on about the new apartment they got in town, about how the new landlord had almost offered a reduction of the cost of the lease if she would just flash him a smile. He went on about the grocery-boy, they seemed to keep meeting him, and on about the taxi driver on the way home, how he almost got into an accident because he couldn't keep his eyes where they belong (a: in their sockets, and b: on the road).

I let Krillin talk his little heart out, I had a lot of thinking to do and Krillin's voice tended to drone out into just background noise. My thoughts were a little preoccupied... Basically on how I was supposed to broach the subject of training with Piccolo, as well on just how to beat him. In the end though, I guess I really shouldn't have been worried about the first one. Piccolo was only too glad to take on a new training partner, he was so bored these days, with nothing to save the world from. I didn't even need to tell him about my wish...

Beating him on the other hand, would be another matter entirely.  
  


Now just why did I decide to train under Piccolo? 

This was pretty much the only thought that was running through my head as I dodged, parried, and basically tried as hard as I could not to get my face smashed to a million pieces. I caught the leg aimed at my gut and pushed off, into a backwards somersault, managing to kick the Namek who popped into being behind me in to process. Unfortunately he had expected it as well, and the kick met only a well placed hand, grasping my foot and twisting.

I spun in mid-air for a moment, then sunk back to earth headfirst, managing to catch myself, just barely, on my left pinky finger and hurl myself back into the air to parry the punch aimed at where my face was going to be in another second or two. On and on it went, not yet being able to do so much as think of attacking, seeing as I was a little busy. Still, it was good practice, but not quite good enough.

So I did perhaps the stupidest (or maybe the smartest, I'm never quite sure) thing in my entire life. I goaded him onwards. "Is that the best you could do? My Granny could do better! And that's one handed!" You stupid idiot... Now you're in for it. Of course, Krillin on the sidelines was flabbergasted, completely perplexed as to why I would try to piss off someone who could kill me beyond all hope of wishing back.

The insults, of course, had exactly the desired effect, causing the little green man (although lacking in the little department though) to up the ante, summoning forth a small amount of his huge energy to increase strength, speed, and pretty much everything else too. Not only that, but he started using energy blasts too, and every one of them could kill me if I wasn't careful.

It wasn't long before I started showing the strain, my arms felt like deadened lead weights, my legs like they were crawling through some foul-smelling swamp muck. My entire body burned with effort, and still I pressed on. No, you are NOT going to give in to this guy. This is one battle you are going to win no matter what. You know his tactics, you know what he'll do, now get off your butt and MOVE!

Somehow I kept up the new pace, my dead limbs moving through the rote gestures as if they had no mind other than to move. My clothes were in tatters, the new boots were in shambles, the belt was torn to shreds, and the shirt was a complete disgrace, what with the blood and sweat ingrained so deeply into it's very being. Somehow I summoned forth yet another burst of speed to dodge to punch, another burst of strength to parry the kick, and another burst of energy to block the ceaseless blasts that came from every direction, each one singeing the air all around us.

Through sheer stubborn will I kept it up, and pushed myself harder still, actually managing to attack once or twice when I found one of those too-few-openings. Still, it was a losing battle, we all knew. There was no way a mere mortal could combat one who was once a God. Not even so powerful a mortal as I. 

HA! Laughable... You call yourself powerful. Not a little while ago, you thought you were unstoppable, and here you are, being stopped at every turn, he's out-flanking every clever scheme and manoeuver you can come up with. You can barely keep up defending yourself, let alone attack. You're hurt, a couple broken ribs, a sprained ankle which is somehow supporting your weight, not to mention the myriad of bruises and lacerations you've got. He's beating you, and he isn't even trying. Just imagine what will happen if some REAL threat comes to Earth. What then hunh? Tough guy, think you'll save it? Think again!

My own mind was working against me, I couldn't think, couldn't act, couldn't win, the only thing I could do was lose...

"NO!"

The inhuman cry was torn from the depths of my tortured soul, some monumental effort of control had been erased, and now there was nothing left but pure, raw, unadulterated emotion. Grief, hate, jealousy, fear, sorrow, and most of all, love. They were all there, in that one, sudden burst of my true alien self, this single affirmation, that I will not go quietly into the night. And with that, in the darkness, there shone a tiny spark of something else.

The infinitesimal nothing which glimmered before my eyes in the darkness of my mind just sat there, waiting, impassive, patient till the last. It would be used, or not, it was neither here nor there to it. It was merely there, a tool, nothing more. But it was more, so very much more. I almost reached for it, almost but not quite. Then a smile leapt unbidden to my lips, and I didn't reach. Instead, I let it come to me, I let my very essence, the soul beneath the mind, beneath the body, beneath the ki energy used for the blasts that even now were being fired towards me, give itself wholly to my cause, and burst forth from within my shattered form, from within my bruised and battered body. And with that one act of acceptance, I let it SHINE!

In that moment of peace, I was hurtled back into a new version of reality. The multitude of blasts now aimed at me were of no consequence. Instead of destroying them in a nice flashy show, I absorbed their energy into my own, suffusing my body with even greater power. My skin had begun to luminesce, and I could feel that my hair and eye-colour had changed as well.

Krillin wasn't completely surprised, though he was shocked that I had been able to do so in only this one battle. Piccolo on the other hand was a different story altogether. His shock was made even more manifest after I had him lying broken on the floor, in worse shape than I had been a moment before, and in far less time. We had just barely enough time to blink before we all registered the true magnitude of what had just happened.

Krillin was the first to put it into words, "Dude, you're a-a-a Super Saiyajinn!"

  
  
  


"Wow. That's quite a story there. You said your name was Hoshito? Sorry, sometimes I forget names." Dende was playing host to the rest of us, with Mr. Popo firmly entrenched as hostess. 

"Yeah, well I say that having another Super-Saiyajinn around can only spell trouble." Piccolo was dour as always, his low whispering boom of a voice piercing the veiling solitude of silence that saturated the air.

"Yeah, you think everything spells trouble." Krillin's poor attempt at humour fell on deaf ears.

"I really should have said it earlier Piccolo, but I want to say it now." Every eye in the room was on me, all eight of them. "Thanks."

That was yet another unexpected thing. You seem to pride yourself on doing the unexpected, don't you? And in the space between eye-blinks the tension in the room was at once brought to fever pitch, and then broken, shattered into a million pieces as everyone, finally laughed.

As everyone picked themselves up off the floor, and dab at the corners of wet eyes, they finally settled down once more. This time, to a more amiable silence. 

"Look, I hate to break the silence, but I'm a little tired here, you think I could get a zenzu bean before I go into a coma or something?" The weariness I felt was bone-deep, even deeper in fact. I felt drained, a withered husk of a self, not yet nearly recovered from my harrowing ordeal. "Needless to say, it's not exactly an easy thing going Super-Saiyajinn for the first time." My voice was raw, husky, strained with effort.

"Oh dear, I almost forgot." Dende was already getting to his feet as he said this, coming over to me, and laying his hands on my chest. His touch was gentle, warm, and as the light issued forth from his hands I could feel health, there was no other word for it, being projected deep within my body. "I do apologize, I did not mean to ignore your pain."

After only a few moments, I felt whole, and sane, if not completely restored, "That's enough, go heal Piccolo. I know I hurt him worse than he hurt me, even though I didn't exactly mean to." I glanced his way, and mouthed the word Sorry, in silent apology. He saw, and with the tiniest nod, acknowledged how difficult that task was.

"Thank you everyone, but I think I'm just going to go hibernate somewhere. I'll see you in the morning." I got up, and went to the quarters I had been assigned, found the bed, and fell upon the covers, without even bothering to undress. I was deep into a dreamless, healing sleep well before my eyes had closed, let alone my head hit the pillow.


	4. To Leave

Okay, it's the next chapter . . . and maybe you'll find out, I'm not quite sure yet, seeing as I haven't written anything except this disclaimer . . . which reminds me that I don't own DBZ or any of the (rambles on about copyright legalities for a couple minutes before coming back into a world without lawyers) other "insert favourite legal catchphrase crap here" stuff. And so . . . without further adieu, the next chapter in the continuing saga of Hoshito the born-again Saiyajinn.

  
  
  
  
  
  


"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" That voice registered somewhere in my brain, though no where near consciousness yet. "Looks like someone has been sleeping during training hours."

"Oh come on, just a few more hours . . . "

"Oh no you don't . . . UP!" And with that one word I was surreptitiously dumped from my bed, which had somehow become airborne, directly onto the floor. A rather rude wake-up call, but effective nonetheless. As my sleep-fogged brain rose into a more aware state of unconsciousness, I managed to sit up, get my feet under me, and push. Wobbling more than slightly, I took a few halting steps, then realized I had no idea where I was headed.

"Umm . . . Where's the bathroom in this place?" A green (and yet surprisingly well-manicured) finger pointed toward a small brass knob cut into a recess within the wall. Oh goodie, at least my bladder won't explode today. Maybe I might even manage to get some breakfast . . . This thought crossed my mind, only moments before the echoes of my gurglingly empty abscess of stomach decided to make themselves heard. After taking a short shower, and taking care not to press too hard with the luffa, on my still sensitive skin, I managed to stumble my way out of the washroom without too much difficulty.

Finding my room again, on the other hand, was another deal entirely. But thankfully, that same well-manicured green finger pointed the way once more, this time with slightly greater disdain. I waved a thank-you to my new sensai, and proceeded to dress myself in a new and undamaged version of the same suit I wore yesterday. With that done, I could no longer ignore the rather insistent calls of my stomach, which was really starting to annoy me. The wonderful smells of breakfast wafting in from the kitchen, were enough to incite a riot of the hungry.

I almost looked at Piccolo on my way out, but knew he would be meditating, and knew that I could find my way by smell alone in this case. So just for some practice, I closed my eyes, and did exactly that. It really didn't take long, and after only a stubbed toe, and a bruised pride, I sauntered into the sumptuous banquet that lay before me. If I were a king and this was the breakfast for every leader of every nation that had ever existed, I could have wanted no more than what lay before me.

Pretty much anything that had ever been served for breakfast, anywhere was here. Bacon and eggs, bean curd, soup, toast, rice, oatmeal, cold milk and cheeses, pancakes with real CANADIAN maple syrup, and a thousand other dishes I couldn't even name. Of course, the sight was only half the battle, seeing as the smells were equally tantalizing, not the least of which was a finely blended, rich, thick, and a full-bodied cup of (insert favourite brand of mineral water here) coffee. 

By the time I was through an hour or so later, there wasn't a crumb of food left standing anywhere. Mr. Popo was both shocked and amazed, not to mention delighted, that I had so enjoyed his meal. Of course, by now Krillin would have gone back home, so anything made here would have to be eaten by me. Which was fine, just the way I like it.

I took one last sip of the best coffee I had ever imagined, thinking aloud to myself, "Man, this is what coffee is supposed to taste like!" Before the chair I had been sitting on was smashed to pieces, by that selfsame well manicured, green finger.

"Really, who does your nails? I'd love to know." Which of course got the days training off to an impressive start.  
  
  


Several hours later, it was becoming increasingly abundant that even being Super-Saiyajinn wouldn't suffice against this foe. He still wasn't fighting at full power, even though I now was, and the fight was starting to look like it was going to go the same way as yesterday's session. Of course, there was one major difference today (other than the power levels that is) and that was that Piccolo wasn't testing me now. He knew just how capable I was, just how knowledgeable I was of his own methods, and so he wasn't going to allow me those same "openings" I thought I had seen yesterday. 

Add to this the fact that it was becoming increasingly hard as the day wore on to maintain my transformed state. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't getting any easier. At least, not yet it wasn't. Things were progressing much more slowly now than I had anticipated, which was going to be a problem. 

Of course, while all this was going through my mind, I was busy trying to fend off blow after blow, trying and failing half the time. God, doesn't this guy ever give up? The answer to that was obvious. No. And if he wasn't going to give up, then neither would I. Of course, we had pretty much reached a stalemate by now. This had been going on for months, and as yet, there had been no apparent increase in my abilities since that day. I couldn't seem to push myself any farther.

Not that I was really trying. The problem with being a Super-Saiyajinn was that I couldn't stop myself from facing my emotions, or lack thereof. It was as if gaining this transformation had taken everything I had, and now, I was nothing, just a dried up, useless piece of garbage to be tossed away at the first opportunity. Or at least, that's what I was thinking. I had become completely apathetic, and completely pathetic in the process.

What little had been left of my heart was gone now, torn still-beating from my chest, and skewered upon her finger. The first thoughts I had in the morning, and the last thoughts I had before sleep claimed me, were of her. Not that it mattered. She was gone, like she had never been, and I was to blame, because I wasn't strong enough to stop anything that took her, piece by blessed piece.  
  
  


Eight years had passed since first we met. Eight years, three months, and two days. 

She had been scared when I first saw her, a trembling little thing upon the snow, high up in the mountainous wilderness. How she got there I was at a loss, but as far as I could tell, it was like she had just fallen from the sky. There were no tracks, other than the circle of patted-down snow surrounding the tree she had been huddled against. I was up on my weekly hike through the mountains when I heard her helpless little cry.

It was only when I finally took her back to my cabin and got her some warm clothes, that I saw how old she was. Very nearly my own age I'd wager. And yet, there was that blank look in her eyes, that made it seem as if she was just some little girl, lost in the woods. It was only much later that I found out that it was all because of the two aliens that had landed earlier. How they had wrecked her parents plane, which had gone down just over the ridge.

As for her, she had fallen from the plane on its final approach, the soft snow cushioning her fall. She wouldn't go look for her parents because she was afraid, and she wouldn't let me leave her alone to go search for them, so I called it out on the portable radio I had for emergencies. Thankfully, it was some hours later, when she had finally passed out on the cot in the corner, that the call had come through. 

I almost woke her up, but she looked so peaceful, so innocent in slumber, I let her be. It could wait till morning. So I tucked the comforters around her a little more snugly, took out the spare blanket from the closet, and settled myself down on the couch to await the sun.

Looking back, I'm far more grateful than I should be, that I woke up before her. But I did, and I made some breakfast while I waited. It was the smell of bacon frying that got her nose twitching, and when she finally did get up, she was ravenous. It was like she hadn't eaten in days, but I let her be.

As she was shovelling the last crumb of toast into that gaping maw, I caught her hand, and she looked up like a deer caught in the headlights, her sky -blue eyes wild and frightened. I let my cool green ones calm her, not moving, just accepting. It was a long time before either of us spoke.

"I got the news about your parents." I tried to make the words calm, and soothing. I don't know if I succeeded. 

"They're dead, aren't they." It wasn't a question. It was the first time I heard her voice, and I was dumbfounded. She could have made a rampaging rhino stop and look, such was the power of that voice. Each note was brought to crystal clarity, and beyond. And yet, it was if she had no idea what that voice of hers could do, as if she thought it was the most heinous thing ever to be issued forth from lips or gums.

I could only nod silently. Words escaped me for the moment. She held herself still for a moment, pride strengthening her, forcing her back straight, forcing her lips into a white line, forcing her eyes to be as sharp as ice, and twice as cold. But then that solid, brittle strength shattered on the realization that they were truly gone, and she collapsed into my arms, pain torn from her in huge racking sobs.

I didn't know what to do, so beyond my experience this was. So I did the only thing I could think of. After sitting there for a moment like a bump on a log, I closed my arms about her withered frame, and held her close until the crying stopped. It was a long time, longer I think than would have been necessary, seeing as I had lost my own parents several years before. We were two orphans, finding comfort in each other company, as if we could replace that piece of our heart with friendship, and maybe more.  
  
  


"Hoshito!" I awoke from my revery just in time to deflect the blast that would have torn me to shreds had it hit. "That's enough for today, if you can't keep your mind on what you're doing, you're not going to be any good to anyone." He's right. Piccolo's right. What good will I ever be to anyone? I couldn't even save the woman I loved. How am I supposed to believe I can save a planet? And just what am I supposed to save it from? There's nothing threatening the planet. I'm only doing this incase something does. 

"Yeah, whatever. I'll be back later." With a measured gait, I walked off the edge of the tower, and into nothing. It was quite some time before I bothered slowing myself, and even longer till I stopped. I just stood there in midair for a moment, then looked back up, and disgusted with myself, flew off. I didn't know where I was going, just that I was going away from memories of her.

Of course, that wasn't going to work. I should have known better. Instead of flying away, I flew toward. Straight as an arrow, towards her final resting place, the last place I had any memory of love. Of course, I only realized where I was going when I got there. Not this again. Man. You're sick. Why do you torture yourself? It's not like you could have done anything.

Of course I couldn't have done anything. Even if I had the same power as I had today, it still wouldn't have mattered. Nothing would ever matter.  
  
  


"Hoshi! Come on in, it's too cold out, you'll catch a chill!" Even Two years after I first met her, her voice still captivated me.

I shoved the axe I had been using into the stump, and carried the firewood in with me. "I told you never to call me that. You know it bugs me."

"Yeah, but it just sounds so much nicer than Hoshito. I figure you'll get used to it eventually."

I snorted at that, my breath pooling around me in the cold mountain air. "Fat chance."

We still lived in that same cabin in the woods where I had taken her after we first met. She had slowly recovered from the shock of her parents death, and had grown to love me. We were married only a few weeks ago, and were still basking in the glow. Even so, she always seemed a vulnerable little waif. Every little thing that could possibly go wrong would only throw her into a bout of depression. But I loved her, and she was perfect anyways.

We turned on the TV, and settled ourselves on the couch for a nice quiet night. Flipping through the channels, we caught something on the news. She turned it up.

"Apparently, another spacecraft has landed. This one is significantly larger than the ones that appeared two years ago, but we have no news yet whether these aliens are hostile." It was only later than I learned that this was the return of the alien Freeza. At that moment, I was a little preoccupied with my wife, seeing as she had just run barefoot into the frigid night.

"Sarah!" No use. There was no response. I took a flashlight and followed her trail of hurried footprints in the snow. It wasn't that long before I figured out just where she was going.

I found her just as I had two years ago. Huddled against the selfsame tree, battered by the wind, and shivering against the cold. Her blank eyes held no hint of sanity, and in a hushed voice that chilled me more than the weather, I heard the whispered words, "They're back. This time they'll take me. They'll take me because I wanted them to take dad, for what he did to me. They'll take me because I wanted them to take mom, 'cause she wouldn't stand up to him."

She just kept repeating it. Over and over again, till I thought my sanity had gone with hers. Even after I got her home, and warm again, she never stopped. Just kept on and on. 

"They'll take me because I wanted them dead."  
  
  


"I'm sorry sir, but there's not much we can do. She has completely withdrawn into herself. She won't eat, barely sleeps, and says almost nothing. We've tried everything we can, but we haven't seen any change for the past several weeks, the prognosis isn't good." The nurse refused to be optimistic. But then again, there wasn't any reason for her to be.

Disgusted, and disheartened, I left. Why didn't I at least try? I should have tried. It probably wouldn't have made any difference, but then again, maybe... 

But of course, I didn't try. I just left her there, and retreaded to my cabin in the woods. Even there, I couldn't find any solace, for the memories of her. So I left. I kept leaving. Ever since, I've been leaving everything that ever came close. 

So I passed the next three years, never staying in one place for too long. Keeping my once weekly training appointment with Krillin, and nothing else. I never checked in on Sarah, nor did I ever visit the cabin again. Too much hurt, too much pain, and nothing I could do about either.

That is, until Cell changed everything. During his rampage, he attacked the asylum where she had been staying. His appearance stole the last vestige of her humanity, her life. And so she was gone now. Completely gone. Even the dragon couldn't bring her back, because Cell had not killed her, she had killed herself long before. I guess in dragon language that meant natural means.

And so she's gone. Completely and utterly. And I couldn't stop it. And so it was all my fault. I wasn't strong enough for her when she needed me. Even now I'm not strong enough, not in any way that mattered.

It took a little paperwork, but I managed to convince the authorities to let me bury her where she had always sought solitude. Right beneath the bare branches of the tree she had nearly died by twice now. It was fitting. It was right. It was in front of me now. I hadn't visited her grave in all the long years since.

Even now, it was the same. Three years, and it hadn't changed at all. It was as if time had decided to stand still in her presence. I almost cried there, tears welling up in my eyes. But I wouldn't allow that. Not tears. I wasn't allowed tears, because I had killed her, and murderers weren't allowed to cry. She needed me, and I caved, I folded, and left. I left and never looked back.

And so I closed my eyes, shoved the tears aside, and flew away.  
  
  


"Hey Krillin." I had to do this . . . Say goodbye. I wouldn't want him to feel responsible. This was something I had to do, for him, if no one else.

"What's up Hoshito?" There was worry in his voice. I could tell he knew something was wrong. He always was good at that.

"Nothing. Just came to say goodbye. Going back into space for a while." Dead. That was the only voice I had now.

"Sure man. Come back soon okay?" It was a question, a hope, a wish for something better.

"Sure. Soon. Tell the lady of the house. I'll see her 'round, okay?"

"Sure. See ya later."

One down, one to go.  
  
  


"If you're going to go, then go. Don't bother saying goodbye. You haven't been here for the past couple months anyways, not in any way that matters." Piccolo was always like that. He never let anyone in to begin with. Maybe that's better.

"You know better than I do that I have to go. If I don't, I'll end up dead, or worse. It's better this way. At least I don't run the risk of destroying the planet every time I train with you." Excuses, excuses. Coward, you know that's not why.

"Sure. Whatever you want to tell yourself is okay. Just don't expect me to care." 

"Whatever man. And just for the record, I really did want to know who does your nails. Whoever they are, they're fantastic." A poor attempt at humour, no one laughed.

I flew off then without another word between us. Nothing left to do but leave.  
  


I strapped myself in, pushed the button to launch and waited. The Briefs were waving goodbye, but I ignored them, just like I ignored everything else. As the engines roared to life, the sky above changed from peacock, to navy, to indigo, to blackest night, all within the matter of a few seconds. I set a course for who knows where and didn't look back.

Leaving yet again . . .   
  
  


A.N. - So what do you think now... More than slightly unexpected turn of events eh? (Yes I'm CANADIAN, so sue me) Normally most of these stories have some big battle, right? Well not this time! At least... not yet... But there WILL be a sequel... I can promise you that. I'm not finished with Hoshito quite yet... He's still got great things ahead of him. And he has yet to face his deepest fears... So we'll be seeing you all later. 


End file.
